DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner + Free Printable Labels

Why spend a lot of money on yoga mat cleaner when it’s so easy and inexpensive to make it at home?

I realize this post is a bit out of the norm for me, but I’ve gotten into DIY projects recently. It started with homemade scrubs and has grown from there. This homemade yoga mat cleaner smells amazing and has saved me a ton of money. If you’re a fan of yoga, especially hot yoga, you’re going to love this. I’ve also once again teamed up with Jessica from Coco and Mingo, who has created beautiful printable labels you can use on the bottle!

A few months ago, I shared my story about how I lost 30 pounds in 2015. The #1 change I made was adding in exercise classes, and hot yoga has become a surprise favorite. I never really got yoga until now. It always felt kind of like a waste of my time. I wasn’t burning a ton of calories, I didn’t felt more enlightened or peaceful… the benefits weren’t there for me. After attending my first hot yoga class, everything began to make sense. The heat has definitely helped my flexibility, which improves my performance in other classes. I feel like I’m sweating out toxins. Also (and this is more of a vanity thing), over the years I’ve started getting very sweaty in all of my workout classes, which makes me very self conscious. In hot yoga, I can sweat with abandon and not feel embarrassed.

The negative is that my yoga mat quickly gets disgusting. I looked online for a spray cleaner and found one, but it was ridiculously expensive for the amount of cleaner you get. Totally unacceptable. So I began doing some research online and came up with my own version, which has worked out amazingly well. My mat always smells fresh, it’s never sticky, and I’m confident that it’s not full of gross bacteria. To use this cleaner, I unroll my mat and spray it well on one side, allowing it to air dry. Once that side is clean, I flip the mat and repeat on the other side.

Tea tree oil and witch hazel both have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which make them a great chemical-free addition to yoga mat cleaner. You can add more than I’ve used here, but keep in mind that both have relatively strong smells. I like the smell of tea tree oil, but I’m really not a fan of the way witch hazel smells, so I use it sparingly. The lavender and eucalyptus essential oils are very soothing to me, but you can technically omit them if you prefer. This will also work for light household cleaning (countertops, etc.), though I wouldn’t use it for heavy duty sanitizing purposes.

I purchased this bottle from Amazon, which is what you see in the photos, but any spray bottle will work. The instructions create enough yoga mat cleaner for a 16 ounce bottle. If using Jessica’s printables, you’ll want Avery 22819 labels.

No yoga for me, but Paul and I did start up with Insanity again *cries*, so a mat is needed. So is my youth, but that’s neither here no there. I love this. Store bought cleaning solutions are stupid expensive.

What a great idea Jen! Coincidentally, I have everything on the list except the essential oils. I have to grab them next time I go to Whole Foods. I have no intentions of omitting them. ;)
This would make a great gift for friends who do yoga. Love the labels as well. <3

Hi, I’m Jen

I’m a Maryland native living just outside of Washington DC. I graduated from culinary school in 2010 and have been cooking and baking professionally ever since. My goal at Savory Simple is to create everyday gourmet recipes that are easy to prepare at home. Thanks for visiting!

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